Fieldbook of Natural History,

I have had this book since my college days---mid fifties---and refer to it regularly. Last night our daughter told her 3 year old son to call me about a ginko berry he had found and I should look it up in Palmer's. So, it is now on it's third generation. Pretty good reputation. It is very comprehensive. However I have the '49 edition. I hope the one I am ordering is as good. Alice Jones, Lawrenceville, NJ

I have used the 1949 edition since high school. I especially treasure this book for its opinions which are revealed in the last paragraph of each entry. The book has a decidedly no-nonsense approach to the use of natural resources, while still very much concerned with conservation and human ecology. It's editorial emphasis is ahead of its time.

This book was given to me by my uncle more than 20 years ago and I still refer to it constantly. Although the delineation of kingdoms has been revised since the last printing of the book, it is still an excellent resource for the naturalist. I use it in conjunction with more current field guides to learn more about my interest. This book goes beyond the standard field guides by providing not only a physical description for each entry, but also adds a description of the history and uses of the entries where possible. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in our natural world.

This is a constantly used resource. I used a copy of the 1949 edition as a text for an undergraduate ecology course and haven't parted with it since. No doubt this book would be dust by now if the 1975 edition hadn't come along. If I had but one field guide, this would be it. The range and presentation of the material is useful to the professional and accessible to the novice. I'm amazed it's out of print. Ecologists everywhere should be outraged.

I got this book for a high school text book back in 1979. After I came home, my mother borrowed it, & won't give it back. She claims she has never looked anything up that wasn't in it.It's such a great reference, that I had to get another one for myself.Highly recomended!